Tornadoes · United States · Arkansas

Tornadoes in Marion County, Arkansas

23 tornadoes have crossed Marion County since 1950, 56th of the 75 counties in Arkansas with a tornado on record, an average of one every 3.3 years. They have killed 12 people and injured 111. None was rated F4 or above.

The rating scale

Tracks are drawn in the color of the rating. The United States rated tornadoes on Ted Fujita’s F scale until 31 January 2007 and on the Enhanced Fujita scale after it. Both run from 0 to 5, and both rate the damage rather than measure the wind: the speeds are what that damage is taken to imply.

  1. F0 / EF040 to 72 mph on the F scale, 65 to 85 mph on the EF scale

    Light damage. Surface peeled off some roofs, gutters and siding damaged, branches broken, shallow-rooted trees pushed over.

  2. F1 / EF173 to 112 mph on the F scale, 86 to 110 mph on the EF scale

    Moderate damage. Roofs badly stripped, mobile homes overturned or badly damaged, exterior doors lost, windows broken.

  3. F2 / EF2113 to 157 mph on the F scale, 111 to 135 mph on the EF scale

    Considerable damage. Roofs torn off well-built houses, frame homes shifted on their foundations, mobile homes destroyed, large trees snapped or uprooted, cars lifted off the ground.

  4. F3 / EF3158 to 206 mph on the F scale, 136 to 165 mph on the EF scale

    Severe damage. Whole stories of well-built houses destroyed, large buildings badly damaged, trains overturned, trees debarked, heavy cars lifted and thrown.

  5. F4 / EF4207 to 260 mph on the F scale, 166 to 200 mph on the EF scale

    Devastating damage. Well-built houses leveled, structures with weak foundations moved some distance, cars thrown and large missiles generated.

  6. F5 / EF5261 to 318 mph on the F scale, over 200 mph on the EF scale

    Incredible damage. Strong frame houses swept off their foundations, car-sized missiles thrown more than 100 meters, steel-reinforced concrete badly damaged, high-rise buildings deformed.

  7. Unrated

    The survey recorded a tornado but could not put a number on it, most often because it crossed open country and damaged nothing a rating can be read from.

Now

Tornadoes
23
Deaths
12
Injuries
111
F4 and above
0
Worst on record
EF3, May 26, 2024

The deadliest in Marion County

  1. EF3 Olvey tornado, ArkansasMay 26, 20244 killed, 1 injured
  2. F3, Marion and Baxter counties, ArkansasNovember 18, 19853 killed, 16 injured
  3. F3, Marion County, ArkansasMay 7, 19613 killed, 9 injured
  4. EF2, Marion and Baxter counties, ArkansasFebruary 5, 20081 killed, 36 injured
  5. EF3, Marion, Baxter and Fulton counties, ArkansasMay 26, 20241 killed, 17 injured

The strongest

  1. F3, Marion, Ozark and Howell counties, Arkansas and MissouriMay 7, 1961F3, 43.8 mi (70 km)
  2. EF3, Marion, Baxter and Fulton counties, ArkansasMay 26, 2024EF3, 34.6 mi (56 km)
  3. F3, Marion and Baxter counties, ArkansasNovember 18, 1985F3, 34.0 mi (55 km)
  4. F3, Marion and Baxter counties, ArkansasDecember 14, 1971F3, 23.6 mi (38 km)
  5. EF3 Olvey tornado, ArkansasMay 26, 2024EF3, 21.6 mi (35 km)
  6. F3, Marion County, ArkansasMay 7, 1961F3, 14.2 mi (23 km)
  7. EF2, Marion and Baxter counties, ArkansasFebruary 5, 2008EF2, 12.5 mi (20 km)
  8. F2, Marion County, ArkansasApril 22, 1996F2, 12.0 mi (19 km)
  9. EF2, Searcy and Marion counties, ArkansasFebruary 16, 2023EF2, 11.0 mi (18 km)
  10. F2, Marion County, ArkansasMarch 26, 1983F2, 2.0 mi (3 km)

Every year with a tornado

The 18 years of the 76 in the record with a tornado in Marion County. Each year links to every tornado in Arkansas that year.

YearTornadoesDeathsInjuriesStrongest
20242518EF3
202312EF2
201911EF1
20151EF0
20101EF1
20081136EF2
20061F0
200321F1
20011F1
20001F1
19981F0
199626F2
19851316F3
19831F2
197612F1
1971110F3
19641F0
19613319F3

Every tornado that crossed Marion County

23 tornadoes, newest first.

DateTimeRatingWherePath (mi)Width (yd)DeathsInjuriesDamage
May 26, 20243:59 AM CDTEF3Marion34.61,760117
May 26, 20243:27 AM CDTEF3Olvey tornado21.62,00041
February 16, 20231:59 AM CSTEF2Searcy11.02502$300,000
February 7, 20194:27 AM CSTEF1Marion2.61001$100,000
March 24, 20157:11 PM CDTEF0Marion0.630
April 30, 20105:49 PM CDTEF1Ozark to MO16.0440$40,000
February 5, 20085:02 PM CSTEF2Marion12.5880136$18 million
September 22, 20065:12 PM CDTF0Marion0.325
April 24, 20036:08 PM CDTF1Marion4.92001
April 19, 200312:43 AM CDTF1Marion16.0150
November 23, 20019:03 PM CSTF1Boone8.0100
May 24, 200010:20 PM CDTF1Marion0.420
June 13, 19987:48 PM CDTF0Marion0.150
September 26, 19968:05 AM CDTF1Marion0.240
April 22, 19961:40 AM CDTF2Marion12.02006$1.0 million
November 18, 19859:12 PM CSTF3Marion34.0440316$5 million to $50 million
March 26, 19835:00 PM CSTF2Marion2.0293$50,000 to $500,000
August 14, 19765:47 PM CDTF1Marion0.1172$50,000 to $500,000
December 14, 197111:30 PM CSTF3Marion23.688010$50,000 to $500,000
January 24, 19643:00 PM GMT-6F0Marion0.110
May 7, 19613:15 AM GMT-5F3Marion to MO43.833310$500,000 to $5 million
May 7, 19612:00 AM GMT-5F3Marion14.21,76039$500,000 to $5 million
March 12, 19616:30 PM GMT-6F1Marion19.8250$50,000 to $500,000

Nearby

Warnings in force in Marion CountyThe forecast for Marion CountyThe live radar over Marion CountyEvery county in Arkansas

What this means

Ratings are the survey's, read off the damage rather than measured; the rating scale is above. Tornado counts rise through the record as reporting improved, so a year in the 1950s is not comparable with one today except for the strongest tornadoes, which were always noticed.

Sources

NOAA Storm Prediction Center tornado database, 1950-2025, the official record kept by NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.